Bāwīt

BĀWĪT. - A locality in Middle Egypt near which were discovered the ruins of one of the most important monasteries of the early Middle Ages, that of Apa Apollo (cf. W. E. Crum, Der hl. Apollo und das Kloster von Bawît, in Zeitschr. für ägypt. Sprache, 40 [1902-1903], pp. 60-62; J. Clédat, in Comptes Rendus de l'Acad. des Inscr. et Belles Lettres, 45 [1902], pp. 525-46), who died in 395, a monastery mentioned by Palladius and Rufinus. It was a double monastery, that is, it also contained a women's cenobium dedicated to Amma Rachel. It lasted until around the beginning of the 10th century, when it was destroyed by the Muslims, who plundered it and carried off some sculptures to decorate the mosque of the nearby village of Dašlût. At the center of the monastery stood two churches almost similar in plan, richly decorated with sculptures that are the most interesting among those left to us by the Christian art of Middle Egypt (cf. E. Chassinat, Fouilles à Bawît, Cairo 1911, ida E. Chassinat, Fouilles à Baoult, in: Mémoires publiés par les membres de l'Inst. franc. d'arch. orient., XIII, Cairo 1911
BĀWĪT - Central part of a frieze from the South church (11th or 12th century).
Paris, Louvre Museum.

vol. of plates without text). But of much greater importance are the many paintings that decorated the halls and chapels, sometimes even the cells of the monastery, paintings that represent not only Christian subjects, but also other episodes from the Old Testament (especially the story of David), and from ancient mythology, such as the myth of Orpheus. Other paintings have entirely profane subjects, such as two hunting scenes. Innumerable are the painted or scratched inscriptions, rich in information both on the cult and on the organization of the monastery.

Ugo Monneret de Villard